Ropsley LIVES volunteer marks two milestones

A voluntary first responder is celebrating both her 45th birthday and the 45th anniversary of the Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service (LIVES).

Sarah Doyle from Ropsley joined her local first responder group last year, following the tragic death of an infant in the village.

No-one nearby was able to perform CPR, and the experience has resonated with Sarah ever since and compelled her to train as a first responder with LIVES.

Sarah said: “After hearing the terrible news, I felt a strong desire to help the community and prevent these kind of tragedies from happening. I went to a LIVES presentation and within a few weeks I was training to become a first responder and serving the local community!

“After a three day training period I was officially a first responder, which was an exciting step forward for me. Now there are three of us in the Ropsley and Welby first responder group, and we hope to continue growing.

“I have come to realise that no matter how much time you can give to LIVES, it still counts – be it a day a month or five days a week, it still counts. We really enjoy serving the local area and we are proud to be first responders.”

Founded in 1970 by Nettleham-based Dr Michael Cooper and Tetford-based Dr Richard Harper-Smith, LIVES has become an essential part of Lincolnshire’s emergency care, and has grown year upon year.

Sarah added: “We work closely with the Grantham first responder group, as we are still growing and we are a small LIVES group. We are excited to be part of LIVES’s anniversary celebrations and I am proud to be part of the organisation – following a year of amazing experiences and achievements.

As LIVES reaches its 45th milestone, Sarah is excited to be celebrating the occasion in the same month she turns 45 herself. For her, acting as a first responder has allowed her to engage with the community in a new way.

“It is truly amazing the support our group receives locally, and we are proud to help them every single day,” said Sarah. “An amazing example of this is a hand made map a lady in her 70s created for the group, this map is invaluable to us - as it shows all the houses locally and their names and numbers – something a sat nav can struggle with, especially in Lincolnshire!”

To find out more on becoming a LIVES first responder go to the website via tinyurl.com/lzh9oot